I've been resisting the BBU for over a year. This thread started me thinking about it all over again since I already have the FireLite SUL-900 that it fits into perfectly. Yes, I broke down and ordered it from Fritz. This is my birthday present from my wife.

I understand John - mine was a Thursday present from myself.

Jonathan
You win the comment of the day competition.
(made me laugh)
Franco

Edited by Franco on 03/21/2009 19:53:52 MDT.

Jonathan - You win the comment of the day competition.

Agreed, I almost spit my beer out!

I'm glad I was able to inspire people to part with their cash. Fritz builds one hell of a piece of gear. You will not be disappointed.

I gave up my zipstove after it continually ticked off my hiking partners. They didn't like the smoke. The soot was kind of a PIA too.

I had a hard time with Dan's photo of that brand new Tibetian pot on the wood fire.The BBU has been a delight when I can use it. I don't think I could bring myself, however, to desecrate a brand new titanium pot with dirty soot.

I don't think I could bring myself, however, to desecrate a brand new titanium pot with dirty soot.

That's the beauty though, after the first time, it's not new anymore. What's worse is that the BushBuddy is d@mn near a work of art, and there is no way around making it all dirty as soon as you use it.

is the toughest to get over:

Edited by johnk on 03/22/2009 17:12:05 MDT.

Jonathon- I love it! A present... sometimes you just need to... um, celebrate... life?!

BB Ultra is in...

4.75 oz
135g

:D

It's pretty, but I know it wants to get dirty ;)

Jonathan - your weight is the same as mine. I guess the 5.1 ounce spec is no longer accurate.

Don't be shy, stick in your wood and get dirty! ;)

On my way to lighten my load, and due to some unfortunate incident with my Trangia, I decided to get the Tibetan Titanium 1100 as a new pot, and will also order a BB Ultra.

I have a question though: Do you also use the Tibetan Titanium with other heating systems, eg TD Caldera Cone?

http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/trail_designs_caldera_cone_stove_for_msr_titan_kettle.html

If yes, do they fit nicely into the TT?

Edited by skullmonkey on 04/14/2009 03:37:39 MDT.

I made a shorty pepsi stove that weighs .3 ounces and a windscreen that weighs .6 ounces. The setup uses the BushBuddy pot stand as the stand. The stove fits in the BushBuddy easily for storage, and the windscreen nests between the BushBuddy and the TT 1100. I have a small 8 ounce capacity alcohol container that weighs .5 ounces, so if I want I can add in alcohol capability for only 1.5 ounces plus the amount of fuel I decide to bring.

This would likely be used in the event that it was raining and I was tired and hungry. I just threw it together a few days ago, so I've only used it in my little workshop. I haven't decided if I'll actually bring it much or not.

I can post pictures this evening if you're interested in it.

The BushBuddy cleans up nice in the dishwasher. The sooty pot? That's a different problem ;-)

Edited by samurai on 04/15/2009 07:52:02 MDT.

Dan, photos would be great =) I have been experimenting with making my own stove last week, so if you can post a link to the one you made I could get started on that asap (drunk already a beer yesterday in expectation of this =).

Do you think the TD Caldera Cone would fit in the whole mix? Or is it too big?

I finally did further testing with some alcohol stoves I had made to pair with the BushBuddy. I found the best I was able to do was boil 2 cups of cold water on 2/3 ounce of alcohol. It took about 5:20 to do this. After about 40 seconds more, it finished running. 1/2 ounce was not able to boil 2 cups of cold water, but would boil 2 cups of room temperature water.

The finished stove and windscreen weigh a combined .75 ounces (.25 stove and .5 windscreen). The stove is tiny - only 1 inch tall and made from Red Bull sized energy drink cans. Maximum capacity is only one ounce. I think I could probably boil 3 cups, but it would be close and dependent on water temp.

It's so short because the BushBuddy pot stand isn't very tall and you need enough room for the flame between the stove and the pot. Here are a few pictures.

Pot on stand with stove and windscreen:



Pot on stand with stove burning:



The alcohol stove, windscreen, BushBuddy Ultra, Firesteel, and pill bottle with 40 vaseline soaked cotton ball tinders all fits in the TT 1100:



Tiny 1" stove compared to my normal Red Bull stove (haven't brushed the print off yet):

Dan - thanks for the pics.

You've inspired me to try the MBD SSBIT alcohol stove w/ the BBU to see if it works also...when I get some time.

I took advantage of the exchange rate a couple of weeks ago too. It arrived swiftly and I was pleased to discover that the Bushbuddy Ultra fits just right inside of my old MSR Titan Kettle w/ the lid upside down. It will need a rubber band, strap, or sack to keep the lid on - I think it's only appropriate to get a Cuben fiber ditty bag from zpacks.com for this set up!

My Bushbuddy set up weights are as follows:

Stove = 4.7 oz.

MSR Titan w/ lid = 4.3 oz.


Total = 9 oz.

I read this thread a while back. Besides the banter being pretty darn amusing I was also impressed with how much you guys really liked this stove. It's safe to say the Bushbuddy has practically developed a cult! So I finally pulled the trigger on an Ultra yesterday and a BPL SUL-1100 pot to boot. I would have jumped on board a couple years ago but I was concerned about the soot being messy and it being a hassle to keep stuff clean. So have you BB owners found the soot to be a non-issue now that you've been cooking with it for a while? If it is an issue how have you been dealing with it? Does the smoke smell migrate to clothes, food and other stuff in your pack?

Thanks for the help!

Gordon

Gordon, I got myself a BBU and a TT 1100 pot in May and have been it using on every trip so far. I pack the BBU in the TT pot and in the orange mesh bag, and then in a small plastic bag to avoid any soot getting into my backpack.

My TT pot is covered from top to bottom in soot, and I haven't yet bothered to clean it off. For me its a non-issue, although it can be a bit annoying to get soot on your hands if on the trail.

Concerning the smoke, I seem to attract the smoke as wherever I sit down the wind will change its direction to blow the smoke towards me =) So the cloths I am wearing smell a bit of smoke, though it doesn't bother me. If you would practice a "cook on the trail an hour before you find a campsite" approach I am sure you could be able to get minimal smoke smell into your gear, or you just pack your gear at camp there where the wind doesn't blow. Finally, I find the BBU does produce only a limited amount of smoke at all, so depending on the wood you're burning it could be non-existent.

I hope that answers your questions. Have fun with your BBU and let us know you like it!